I Love You
by Kaze no Shoujo
Summary: -AU Fic- In life, there's that boy who would be willing to pick up the pieces, and that boy who broke you that you will continue to love.


**A/N:** Heya! Kaze no Shoujo here with a _very very_ long one-shot.^^; Hope you enjoy it anyway!

**Dedication: **This one-shot is dedicated to Erika, one of my best friends for a long time. I promised her this fic two years ago but failed in writing it. Now here I am writing it for her 18th birthday, but failed again to deliver it in time. Anyway, I still hope I make you smile with this. Happy Birthday!

**Disclaimer:** Me no no own Naruto. Nuff said. Oh, and the main plot was from Erika, more or less. I just wrote it in hopes of fulfilling her imagination.

Now on with the story! :)

* * *

><p>"What do you mean you're just on your way!"<p>

"Father, forgive me. I totally lost track of time and—"

"Enough!" The voice on the other end of the line boomed. "An Uchiha never makes excuses, and an Uchiha is never late!"

"Father, I—"

"You were out with that girl again, weren't you?"

"I—"

"I told you since the first time I laid my eyes on her that someone as low as her will do you no good! Women like her will only pull you down!"

"Sakura has nothing to—"

"I will hear none of this anymore!" The voice cut him off for the umpteenth time. "You bring shame to our name, Sasuke, and that filthy girl is the cause of it."

The figure opened his mouth to defend his girlfriend, but was not granted the chance as the other person spoke again.

"Itachi would have never done something as irresponsible as this!"

He gritted his teeth at the statement, his hand clenching the phone tighter.

"You need not go there anymore." The voice continued, now calm. "I will send Itachi to fix your mess. As for you, go home and get your head straight. Then maybe you'll finally leave that woman and start focusing on important matters."

Before a word could even get out of his mouth, the line went dead.

++::.~::.~::.~::.~:x:~.::~.::~.::~.::++

Uchiha Sasuke cursed loudly as soon as he heard the line die. Not even checking if there were any cars nearby, he stomped on the breaks and turned the wheel to the left, successfully making the car drift.

As soon as the front of the car was facing the way he just came from, he stepped on the accelerator and started driving in a speed that was definitely not appropriate for the road. A few cars honked at him, and even cursed, but the young man paid them no heed.

He was pissed.

And when Uchiha Sasuke was in that state, no one can get in his way.

++::.~::.~::.~::.~:x:~.::~.::~.::~.::++

Haruno Sakura sat on her bed, staring at her cell phone that was currently perched on her nightstand.

When nothing about it changed at all, she heaved a sigh for the umpteenth time. This pattern had been going on for a week now, since her last date with her boyfriend of two years: none other than Uchiha Sasuke.

It had been a week, and it was odd that he hasn't called yet. Sure, there were times that he had a few things he needed to prioritize before her for the mean time, but never this long. He was an Uchiha after all. He HAD to be busy.

But still. As his girlfriend, she was worried. Not suspicious that he has someone else, but worried that something bad had happened. Being an Uchiha pressured him in so many ways, and his brother being perfect made things harder for him. She knew all of that, being the closest person to him.

Sasuke would look like a cold person at first, but once you've known him, you'll find him to be a warm person deep inside. When they first met, both of them didn't quite like each other. To Sakura, Sasuke was a cold, arrogant jerk. To Sasuke, Sakura was a weak, annoying crybaby. How they ever got together was a mystery to everyone else.

Hence, the two of them were denounced as the cutest couple in their school.

Now in their senior year, everyone was getting ready to either go to college or start working. Sakura has decided to go to college. Sasuke will be doing the same, save for the fact that he also has to start helping out more at their family's company. He just started doing that this year, and he hasn't even graduated yet.

Sakura sighed again. It was hard being Uchiha Sasuke, and she hoped there was something else she could do for him than just...well, than just being his girlfriend.

After giving her phone another glance, she lightly pat her cheeks with both palms and smiled.

"Cheer up, Sakura!" she told herself as she stood up. "He's fine and just busy. What I have to do rather than mop around and worry myself out is to plan something good for his birthday next month."

That thought in mind, she started walking towards the door to start brainstorming ideas. Just as she took hold of the doorknob, her phone rang a very familiar tone.

Hurriedly, she got back to her bed and grabbed her phone, flipping it open and pressing the earpiece to her ear in a flash.

"Sasuke-kun?" she spoke, relief and excitement on her voice.

"...Sakura..." His voice sounded lower than usual. "We need to talk."

++::.~::.~::.~::.~:x:~.::~.::~.::~.::++

Rain.

Cold, cold rain.

Pouring hard nonstop.

Trying to wash away distasteful things.

Just like the tears that poured down Sakura's face as she lied down on her bed, emotionlessly. Lifelessly.

Her face held no tint of pain, but tears continued to leak out of her eyes. Her right hand rested on her chest, on her heart. Her left hand held her phone loosely, her eyes staring into space, not blinking.

The only sound in the room was the rain, and the news playing on the TV downstairs.

How long has it been?

_"...A big storm is to hit Tokyo tonight."_

Sakura's eyes started to refocus.

It already did.

_"...we recommend that you _avoid_ going outside and stay in to _keep warm and safe_."_

Sakura took in the sound of the TV, her brain starting to work again.

She hoped someone had told her in advance and warned her about what was going to happen too. She hoped there had been a way to get away from the storm that hit her life a few hours back. To _avoid_ the pain. To _keep warm and safe_.

More tears flowed from Sakura's eyes, a sob escaping her lips. Suddenly, the pain that she had managed to make numb intensified, and she found herself crying all over again.

Her back bowed at the pain, as she molded herself into a ball. Her tiny hands clutched at her heart, and pain and sadness swallowed her in.

++::.~::.~::.~::.~:x:~.::~.::~.::~.::++

...

How long has it been?

How long has it been since she moved from her bed?

How long has it been since she's eaten?

Two days? Three? Four?

How long has it been since her eyes went dry with no more tears to cry?

Sakura couldn't remember anymore.

She had stayed in her bed for nights and days. She couldn't remember the last meal she had.

All she was aware of was the pain in her heart, even as tears refused to fall from her eyes anymore.

Sometimes, when her brain processed, she was aware of sounds too, mostly voices.

Her parents have come to try and talk to her a couple of times already, worried to no end. Sakura usually stayed quiet, save for the times they suspect she's dead and start to panic. She gives them a simple and barely audible, "I'm okay" just to assure them she's still breathing, but nothing else.

A few of her friends dropped by too. Her best friend, Ino had come to try to coax her out and talk to her, but Sakura refused to. Naruto, her other best friend, came to visit her and tried too, but to no avail.

They probably knew already. Heard of what happened. The whole school probably heard about it already. It was hard being well known around the school.

But Sakura didn't want to see anyone at the moment. Especially Naruto. Most especially Naruto.

_"I am really sorry. You've come to visit every day, but my daughter is still..."_

Sakura's brain started to process, hearing her mother speak, but soon lost focus, only hearing murmurs but not understanding anything. There was a male's voice, a deep baritone. That was all she knew.

Her focus turned to her window. Her curtains were drawn close, but she could see that the rain that had been pouring for days had finally stopped and the sun was starting to show itself again.

Suddenly, Sakura heard footsteps, forcing her attention to focus on the sounds once again. The male voice was speaking.

_"...mind...pick...—ock?"_

Not quite understanding the whole sentence, Sakura gave up and simply stared at her ceiling.

A few seconds later of more murmurs, there was a click and her door opened.

Her body didn't react, staying the way she was in.

There were footsteps coming closer to the bed, making its way across the dark room, before stopping at the foot of the bed.

"...Haruno." a male voice spoke, one that she didn't recognize.

Sakura said nothing, not even moving.

"Haruno.." the voice repeated, softly, gently; one that made Sakura's beaten heart swell.

When she still refused to answer, the figure moved to her side ever so slowly.

"Haruno.." the figure spoke, looking down at her face. His face entered her sight as he did so, and Sakura's eyes started to focus.

...She remembered seeing him, but couldn't quite recognize the face.

"You look like hell."

Though the words were a bit insulting, his eyes showed pity and worry. Sakura was aware of his eyes roving her form. She probably _did_ look like hell. She hadn't taken a bath for as long as she's been locked up in her room. Food hadn't been anywhere near her either; her only life support had been water.

She had barely slept; her face was probably sporting huge eye bags. 'Looking like hell' was probably the kindest words to describe her current state.

The man continued to check her, before his mouth opened to ask, "Are you okay?"

Sakura stared back at those dark, dark orbs that painfully reminded her of someone else. Someone she wished was there instead of this stranger.

Once the stranger realized he wasn't going to get any response, he heaved a sigh, one hand rising to rub the back of his neck. Sakura was pretty sure she heard a small 'troublesome' muttered as well.

Suddenly, his other hand stretched towards her, as if waiting for her to take it. His dark orbs stayed fixated on her, his whole attention focused. It must have been the way his silence and his gaze had been so similar that Sakura found her own hand lifting, slowly, hesitantly. Tears stung her eyes, surprising her that she still had any left to cry.

Her hand stopped moving halfway as her mind clouded with painful memories, tears cascading down her pale cheeks. Upon seeing this, the stranger's gaze softened. His outstretched hand slowly inched closer towards hers, gently brushing her fingers with his so as not to frighten her. When she didn't pull away, his hand moved to clasp hers fully. Carefully, he pulled her hand, ushering her to a sitting position, and was surprised when the pink-haired had thrown herself at him, her slim arms wrapping around his neck. His own arms automatically wound themselves around her waist, catching her.

Heart-wrecking sobs filled the room, the sound of it bouncing against the walls, cornering the stranger with it. His gaze softened once more as his hold on her tightened, cradling her closer to him.

++::.~::.~::.~::.~:x:~.::~.::~.::~.::++

Once Sakura had calmed down after her outburst, she had fallen in a deep slumber. She had been kneeling on the bed while he had been standing to support her when her sobs had died down and her weight had started to fall on him even more.

Realizing she was asleep, the stranger gently shifted her in his arms, before placing her down on the bed. Just as he had been covering her with her blanket, a heartwarming voice spoke from behind him, startling him.

"Thank you."

He had turned around just in time to see Sakura's mother smiling at him, tears gathered in her eyes. Her words were hushed, bordering on being a whisper, but he had heard it loud and clear.

"Thank you so much..!" she had broken at the end, a sob escaping her, tears staining her worn out face, and the stranger felt the panic rising within him in being confronted by two women crying at him. Thankfully enough, her husband had entered from the doorway then, instantly wrapping his arms around his crying wife. Mrs. Haruno hid her face in her husband's chest, and the stranger instantly felt the pain they had gone through.

"Thank you..." Sakura's father spoke up, trailing off in question of his name. He had, after all, only introduced himself as Sakura's classmate when he first came to visit her, and they had never asked him after that.

The stranger straightened up, walking towards the aged couple.

"Shikamaru, sir."

He lifted his hand and stretched it out towards Mr. Haruno, which the elder man shook.

"Nara Shikamaru."

++::.~::.~::.~::.~:x:~.::~.::~.::~.::++

It was the next morning when Sakura had woken up. Her eyes opened up to a brightly lit room, the sun shining through the windows. Her curtains had been drawn open, welcoming all the light in.

Blinking, Sakura shifted her gaze to her side, eyes widening slightly at the sight that met her. There, right beside her bed were her parents, both of them holding on to her hand. The two of them had their heads resting near where their hands lay, her father's other arm limply, yet securely wrapped around her mother's form.

The sight of it brought tears to Sakura's eyes. It was as if she had finally woken up from a trance and she was just realizing everything that had happened while she had been mourning. God, will she ever stop crying?

Silently, so as not to wake her parents, Sakura turned her hand in their grip, turning her palm upwards to hold onto their hands instead. Unfortunately, her parents were alert even to the slightest movement, causing them to jerk their heads upwards. Wide eyes met Sakura's teary ones before she was engulfed in her mother's embrace. Upon hearing her mother's sobs, Sakura returned the embrace, crying broken apologies into her mother's shoulder. Warm arms wrapped around the two of them, and Sakura immediately knew it was her father by the security and comfort she had felt the moment she was hugged.

For some reasons, she had suddenly realized how stupid she had been after seeing her parents. God knows she never meant to hurt them, but God, she had never believed a heartbreak would be so painful either. Although barely, Sakura had been aware of her parents worry. She knew her parents had thought of breaking her door down since the first night of her lock up. However, being the ever understanding parents, they had probably waited for her to get out on her own and be the one to tell them what happened, all in her own time.

As Sakura basked in her parents' love and returned the affection, an image of a guy with hair styled as a pineapple and his dark dark orbs burned in the back of her mind.

++::.~::.~::.~::.~:x:~.::~.::~.::~.::++

It was a week later when Shikamaru had parked his dark Jaguar near the Haruno residence. His brows furrowed when he saw Uzumaki Naruto get out of his orange Pagani, heading to the same house he had business in. Not wanting to bother the residents of said house by having two visitors, Shikamaru was just about to turn the engine of his car on when he spotted the blond kick the tire of his expensive car before yanking the door open and getting in. He must've been really distressed if he hadn't seen Shikamaru's car as he passed by. Shrugging, Shikamaru stepped out of his car and lazily walked up to the doorsteps. He had only knocked once before the door swung open.

"Oh! Shikamaru-kun, wasn't it? So nice of you to drop by again." the cheerful voice of Mrs. Haruno met him, startling him; both at the difference of her tone from the last time he saw her, and at the way she seemed happy to see him.

Awkwardly, Shikamaru replied, "Uhm, yes. I was... wondering if your daughter's... doing alright."

Lame.

It was true that he was worried, but it still sounded lame anyway.

"Why, how sweet!" Mrs. Haruno exclaimed, beaming. "Come in, come in." She said, opening the door wider to let Shikamaru in. "She's up in her room. Y'know the way. Feel free to visit her."

She was just about to turn away when Shikamaru opened his mouth and said, "Uhm, the guy a while ago..."

Mrs. Haruno turned back to face him again, a baffled expression on her face.

"The blonde?" Shikamaru offered, hoping to make her remember.

"Ohhh." Realization dawned on her. A gentle yet apologetic smile crossed her face. "Maybe you can ask Sakura about that."

With that, Mrs. Haruno turned around and walked away.

++::.~::.~::.~::.~:x:~.::~.::~.::~.::++

Shikamaru stopped a foot away from Sakura's doorway, surprised that the door was wide open. Cautiously, he entered the room, wondering all the while if it was okay to do so.

His gaze instantly fell on the bed where Sakura had been the first time he came there. When he realized she wasn't there, his eyes roamed around the room in search of her.

"Hey."

A melodious voice from right behind him startled Shikamaru, causing him to twirl around to face the speaker. Pink hair was the first thing that caught his attention, before amused emerald orbs came next. He must admit. She looked a lot better than the last time he saw her.

Her pink tresses framed her heart-shaped face, the straight strands falling elegantly to reach her shoulder blades. She had cut her hair shorter, Shikamaru noticed in awe. Her hair had been fairly long before, reaching the small of her back. Granted, they were tangled and albeit bushy the last time he saw her, but it was long anyway, and a lot of girls had been quite jealous of her silky mane.

Her face gleamed a healthy color, her cheeks tinted with the slightest shade of pink. Her eyes, though not as bright as how he remembered them to be, were alive once more as well. The lips he remembered to be dry and chappy the last time he was there were now a smooth, pink pair. She had gained back her initial weight, giving her a _much_ better look than when he saw her last.

A whiff of lavender reached Shikamaru as the rosette tilted her head to the side in question of his silence. Shikamaru cleared his throat, "Hey, uh, sorry to barge in. The door was open so..."

A soothing smile touched her lips, "It's alright. I've kept from closing my door since I got out of this room. I think I've done a big number on my parents with my locking up."

Shikamaru nodded in understanding as Sakura passed by him to sit at her desk.

"Help yourself." She added to him, pointing at her bed.

Shikamaru complied, going over to do as she said. Her bed had been a lot fluffier and neater than he remembered too, and Shikamaru took those as signs of the passing of the storm.

He was just about to ask how she was, when he beat her to it.

"Thank you."

When he only looked at her, confused, she elaborated.

"Thank you... for not giving up."

Shikamaru could almost hear the 'of me' after her words despite being left out and he immediately understood. Sakura seemed to do so as well as she smiled at him embarrassingly. To ease her discomfort, Shikamaru flashed her a small smile in return.

A few minutes of silence rose before Shikamaru decided to go with his initial attempt of asking of her welfare.

"How are you?" he asked, once again struck by how lame he sounded, despite of himself.

"Better." Sakura gave a small smile, her hand rising to tuck a pink strand behind her ear. Shikamaru quickly knew she was uncomfortable with the question. Deciding to drop it about her, he tried for another.

"I saw Naruto drop by before me."

Her posture instantly stiffened at the mention of the blond. Shikamaru inwardly cursed himself at his wrong approach. He was just about to open his mouth to change the topic, when her shoulders dropped and she heaved a sigh.

"This is stupid, my avoidance of it." She flashed him an apologetic smile before her gaze dropped to her lap. She paused for a second before continuing. "You probably already know what happened anyway."

Shikamaru pursed his lips together in contemplation of how to respond to her statement. Finally, he decided to go for the truth, considering enlightening her of her surroundings would be smart too.

"The whole school's talking about it."

For a moment, Sakura looked as if she was struck in the face. Shikamaru watched her compose herself for a second. When she looked up at him again, her eyes appeared glassy.

She tried to force a smile that looked nothing but pained.

"I know. I expected it." She nodded. "That's why I still haven't gone back to school."

It was a good thing she was smart, or else she was definitely going to fail.

Shikamaru nodded in comprehension of her feelings. Rumors were nothing but pain in the butt that knew how to bite like a mother lion fighting for her cubs. They were troublesome and Shikamaru hated them as much as he hated people taking his cloud gazing time away.

A short silence rose once more, before Sakura herself had interrupted it.

"I had my mom tell Naruto I was sleeping and still locked up." She spoke in a whisper, her eyes strained on her lap. "..I… I didn't want to see him."

Shikamaru took the information in before giving a short nod once again. He didn't need to ask why. Naruto, after all, was Uchiha Sasuke's best friend. But Naruto was also a friend of Shikamaru, and he felt obliged to tell Sakura of the blond's feelings.

"He's worried sick about you."

"I know." A small smile traced themselves upon her pink lips. "Just… not yet."

"Mm." was Shikamaru's respond as he nodded his head. The sound must have sounded more like a "Hn" in her ears, causing her eyes to glisten with tears. Shikamaru didn't fail to notice this, seriously contemplating on leaving the room as soon as possible, seeing as all he seemed to do was push the wrong buttons.

However, Sakura suddenly looked up at him and smiled apologetically.

"I'm sorry."

Shikamaru's eyebrow rose in confusion. What was she apologizing for?

"The science project we were supposed to do together… You probably failed it because of me."

This time, both of Shikamaru's fine brows rose in surprise. "So you do remember me?"

A brief laugh bubbled forth her lips.

"It took me a while to remember, but yes." Sakura smiled a much brighter one than the rest. "Nara Shikamaru, right? My seatmate back in freshman? The ultimate lazy genius?"

She almost sounded teasing, so Shikamaru gave her a small grin and replied, "That's me, alright."

Another laugh escaped her, and he decided he liked listening to her laugh and seeing her smile than seeing her in tears, and hearing her sobs. The sole reason he had first approached her house in her times of trial was because of the science project they had been appointed to finish. It was true that he had been her seatmate all throughout their freshman year, but they hadn't exactly been close. Exchanging words daily was normal, but most times they were busy minding their own business. By sophomore year, even greeting each other had decreased eventually, so it would explain his lack of interest in what was going on in her life. However, as he continued to come in hopes of seeing her out of the room and ready to be dragged to the library, he had been enlightened of the situation. He had seen how worried and exhausted her parents had been, as well as her best friends, Naruto and Ino. When he was in school, all the talk he could hear was about her as well. Suddenly, his annoyance at her irresponsibility had turned to pure worry, wondering how she was and how she was faring with all of the crap that had been thrown her way.

Seeing how weak and broken she had been, as well as having been the one she had thrown herself at, crying and sobbing were the last straws for Shikamaru.

Right now, more than the stupid project that had been his motivation, he sincerely wanted to help the pink-haired maiden out.

Help her out of the hole she had fallen to, and help her stand once more.

"Don't worry about the project." Shikamaru spoke, breaking himself away from his thoughts. "Professor Asuma gave us a month to finish it."

At her surprised expression, Shikamaru continued in a low voice, attempting to imitate their professor himself, "'Special treatment for my special students. How the hell is it that my top students had the golden opportunity to be paired with each other and be the ones _not_ to finish it?'"

Sakura chuckled, much to Shikamaru's pleasure.

"So don't worry about it." He smiled at her, standing up from his post on her bed. "We'll do it when you've recovered."

Her sad smile returned to her face, as she gave a small nod.

"I better get going." He spoke slowly, hesitant for some reasons he was unsure of. "I just wanted to tell you that, as well as check on you."

"Oh." She exclaimed, swiftly rising to her feet and striding towards him. "Uhm, thank you. For the visit… for everything. I'll walk you out."

"It's fine, don't worry about it." Shikamaru assured her and was just about to turn around to leave, when he suddenly remembered one more thing. Turning back to her slowly, he asked, "Do you have something to write on, and perhaps a pen to write with?"

Although puzzled, Sakura nodded. She turned back to her desk, pick up her pink memo pad and black pen. She wordlessly handed them to him, her head tilted slightly to the side in question of what it was he was doing as she watched him scribble down on the piece of paper. Soon enough, the pad and the pen had been handed back to her and Sakura looked down to see digits written on them. Albeit surprised, she turned her attention to him.

"If you need anything… someone to talk to or something," Shikamaru spoke, his eyes serious. "Just call."

Sakura's eyes slightly widened in astonishment at his words, and even more so in the sincerity behind them. A smile blossomed on her face as she nodded once more; finding no more words to say but, "Thank you."

Shikamaru returned the nod and with one final look, turned around and left.

++::.~::.~::.~::.~:x:~.::~.::~.::~.::++

It had been three days later when Shikamaru did get a call from the rosette.

He had been peacefully sleeping on his bed when his phone had rung. His initial intention was to ignore it, considering it was three in the morning. However, somehow, as an image of a girl with pink hair floated in his mind, Shikamaru groaned and went to grab his phone.

Sure enough, it was from an unknown number. Seeing as the possibility of it being Sakura was fairly high, Shikamaru slid his phone open and answered with a low, "Hello?"

"Uhm, Hi." The familiar melodious voice of hers flew smoothly from the earpiece. "I'm sorry, did I wake you?"

She sounded worried and scared, so Shikamaru sat up on his bed, answering a, "No, it's fine."

"What's up?" he asked, when there had been no respond from her, hoping the grogginess from his voice would disappear.

It took her another minute or so before she spoke again.

"I…" her voice was no more than a whisper. There was a brief silence once more. "I'm sort of having PTSD against the storm."

Shikamaru turned his gaze out the window, his eyes on the droplets of the hard rain hitting his window. He suddenly recalled that there had been a monsoon during the times that she had started disappearing from school. His eyes softened as comprehension downed on him.

"Are you alright?" he asked, even as he considered it a dumb question since she had just admitted her having PTSD at the moment.

"Yeah!" Her answer came too quickly, and they both noticed it. "…Well, I guess I'm doing well enough anyway."

"I.." She added, before he could even answer. "I just wanted to talk."

Shikamaru could sense her hesitance as well as her embarrassment even through the phone.

"About anything..!" She added once more, a hint of desperation in her voice. Shikamaru's heart clenched at her tone. Somehow, he could almost hear the words _"About everything" _after her pause.

Running a hand through his hair, he glanced at the nearby clock that reminded him that he had only slept for a few hours. Preventing a sigh from escaping his lips, he said, "Alright. Let's do this then. Do you remember Professor Kurenai from freshman year? She's pregnant with Asuma's child."

Shikamaru would admit he wasn't the talkative kind of person. He was the kind of guy who slept through classes, preferred reading books in libraries, and spent most of his time staring up at clouds. No, he really didn't do talking too much. However, at that exact moment, Shikamaru couldn't care less about how troublesome talking was. He had promised her, in a way, that he would be there if she wanted to talk. He'd be damned if he didn't stand up to that promise of his.

The two of them stayed up until the sun had risen, talking about the most random things and some, the most intelligent things. Despite being quite tired, Shikamaru sat in his bed, leaning against the headboard while listening to her voice. Unlike him, Sakura was quite talkative; not that he didn't know that before.

It was around seven in the morning when Shikamaru took in a deep breath and decided he deserved to know what had happened if he was getting himself this involved.

"Sakura…" he called her by her first name. Somewhere during their long conversation, they had decided they were going to be on first name basis from now on.

"Hmm?" Her response had been a hum, if anything, her mood having been lifted by now. Shikamaru could feel the guilt creeping on him as he realized he was probably going to deflate her mood now in a moment.

Shikamaru cleared his throat, "…What happened?"

He didn't need to elaborate his question, and they both knew it. He heard her voice hitching from the other line, nearly making him want to take back his question.

However, Shikamaru knew they both needed this.

He needed to know what had happened in able to help her more and she needed to let it all out so the pain would not consume her again.

That morning, Sakura shakily enlightened him of what happened as she retold the painful story of the cause of her breakdown. He was aware that she hadn't elaborated on the whole thing, but he decided he would take what he could get.

He listened to her talk about her boyfriend, Uchiha Sasuke, who had turned her _ex-_boyfriend. She told him of how he broke up with her over the phone; of how he had broken her heart when she had very nearly begged him to stay with her and asked the prodigy to work things out together.

Shikamaru couldn' t prevent his fists from clenching in his sheets as he took them all in.

Although he had never really bothered getting involved with Uchiha Sasuke, he knew enough about the guy to be aware of how cold he could be. His relationship with Sakura had not been of any interest to Shikamaru either, but he had seen them in the corridors too many a times to know that despite the cold demeanor the Uchiha had, he still had a soft spot for the pink-haired maiden. If how his eyes softened every time they landed on her and how protective, not to mention possessive, he was of her were any indication, then yes, Shikamaru would admit that the youngest Uchiha _was_ in love with Sakura.

So then why this? Why was he all of a sudden acting like a bastard whose attitude can make even Shikamaru's blood boil?

Despite the irritation and the mystery of the situation that was irking the lazy lad, Shikamaru kept all his thoughts in and settled for comforting Sakura in any way he could. They finally hang up on each other after Sakura had stopped crying, Shikamaru asking her to take some rest. That day, Shikamaru stayed seated in his bed, eyes staring into nothing in particular, lost in his own thoughts. His mother had come barging in his room to yell at him for missing school, but upon seeing her son's serious poise, she had silently closed the door to leave him be despite her worry.

++::.~::.~::.~::.~:x:~.::~.::~.::~.::++

It was two days later when Shikamaru's phone rang early in the morning. He had been sleeping once again, face buried in his pillows. With a little groan and an image of Sakura popping in his mind, he heaved himself up the bed and grabbed his phone from the nightstand.

Having a feeling it was her without even looking at the caller ID, Shikamaru slid his phone open, saying, "Yeah?"

His eyes squinted against the bright sunlight seeping through his window as her voice flew through the earpiece.

"Uhm, Hi." Shikamaru felt an odd sense of déjà vu with her words. "I'm so sorry; I woke you up again, didn't I?"

She seriously sounded so apologetic and troubled that Shikamaru couldn't prevent a breathy chuckle from bursting through his lips, the sleepiness starting to leave him. Heaving a sigh that, he must admit (even if he doesn't want to), sounded amused and joyous, he sat up in the bed and said, "Yeah, but it's fine. I don't mind. What's up?"

"Uhm, I… I was…" She was stuttering, probably embarrassed and hesitant, like always. For some reasons, Shikamaru found it adorable. Deciding it was going to take her a while to speak out what she wanted, Shikamaru rose from the bed, picked up the shirt he had thrown off last night and slipped it in. He walked towards his closet, deciding on what to wear, all the while listening to her soft stammering on the other side of the phone, a small smile on his face. It was when he had chosen, and was about to hit the showers when she finally spoke her request.

"I-I… I was thinking of going to school today… and…" He heard her heave a sigh. "I was wondering if you could… maybe… uhm."

Well, close enough.

Shikamaru glanced at a nearby clock before he responded.

"I'll be there in 20 minutes."

He could almost see her smile when she replied with a, "Thank you."

No one could really blame him if he smiled back to himself before sliding his phone close after their little exchange of 'goodbye's.

++::.~::.~::.~::.~:x:~.::~.::~.::~.::++

"…"

"…"

"…"

"…We can turn back, if you want." Shikamaru suggested as he slowed down at a red light.

Sakura was quick to shake her head. "It's fine. I can't… I can't hide forever."

Shikamaru nodded, eyes on the road, inwardly agreeing with her.

A moment's silence rose again, before he broke it once more.

"Just ignore whatever's thrown your way."

Sakura's eyes snapped at him in worry. He didn't want to scare her, but he knew how it was at school. People talk; annoying haughty girls talk trash and airheaded jerks take advantage of the weak. Rumors are everywhere as well as lowly people. She had to prepare herself for those.

Determination setting in her eyes, Sakura nodded, her hands twisting on her lap, which Shikamaru did not miss.

He really didn't want to risk adding to her discomfort anymore, but maybe if he told her one more thing of what he knew, it would lift her spirits up. Maybe.

"_He_ hasn't been in school in a while too."

Or maybe not, considering how her form stiffened. Shikamaru frowned slightly. If he was her, he'd probably take that as good information. But then again, he wasn't a girl, and he wasn't her.

"Maybe he won't come today."

Sakura nodded, gaze far away outside the window.

Shikamaru watched her from the corner of his eyes, before his eyes turned back to the road as the light turned green.

++::.~::.~::.~::.~:x:~.::~.::~.::~.::++

Whispers and barely concealed glares accompanied their arrival. To think, Shikamaru had just turned the engine off. Sighing and cursing inwardly, Shikamaru stepped out of the car. Lazily walking towards the other side of the car, he softly opened the door. Sakura made no move in her seat, eyes lowered to her lap. Inwardly sighing this time, Shikamaru took his hand out of his pocket and held it out at her. Sakura shifter her attention to his outstretched hand and then to his face. Shikamaru returned her gaze.

"Shut it all out." He avised, reaching his hand closer to her, palm up. "I'm with you."

Hesitantly, Sakura reached her own hand out before gently placing it on his. Shikamaru closed his hand on hers, pulling her gently out of the car. Sakura complied with his touch, gripping his hand tighter as she got out. Shikamaru had been planning on letting go once she had done so, but her trembling form had him rethinking his plan. When she didn't let go either, Shikamaru thought he'd throw caution to the wind as he took her bag in his other hand and walked towards the school with her.

The whispers and glares increased with their actions, especially as they reached her locker. Shikamaru's locker was way farther than hers, but he decided to stay with her rather than anything else. He leaned back on the locker besides hers once they let go of each other to allow her to get the things she needed. Shikamaru fearlessly returned the glare of the people who were stupid enough to gather near them. He might be no Uchiha, but he can be as good as one, and people didn't bother crossing him either.

"Such a slut."

Well, there were some stupid exceptions.

Sakura visibly stiffened, her hands stopping on their movements. Shikamaru turned his glare towards the red-haired who had dared uttered the words.

Then there was a male voice who had cheekily said, "Maybe she can do me next time."

Snickers erupted from the crowd, and Shikamaru turned his glare towards the idiot who was exchanging high fives with his friends. Shikamaru clenched his fists in anger.

Another female voice broke through the snide laughter, her voice taking a disgusted tone.

"She broke Sasuke-kun's heart and now she's moving on to Nara in a snap. Whore. She's not even pretty."

Snickers, laughter and little sounds of agreement accompanied her words. Shikamaru pushed off the lockers in an attempt to launch at something when Sakura held him back by the arm without turning around to face the crowd. He didn't care if it was a girl who had said it; he was going to throw that girl out.

Suddenly, the crowd parted, revealing none other than Uchiha Sasuke himself. The swift silence that drifted through them was astonishing, causing Sakura to turn around to look at what had happened. Emerald orbs clashed with those familiar onyx ones, and Shikamaru felt her grip on him tighten. Carefully, he stepped in front of Sakura, successfully blocking her from the Uchiha's gaze.

Shikamaru did not miss the way Sasuke's eyes narrowed to slits as they turned to him in a glare. The tension was thick as the two males stared each other down, ignoring the rest of the school that had gathered around them.

Finally, Sasuke opened his mouth to speak.

"What the hell are you doing, Nara?"

"Defending your _ex-girlfriend_, Uchiha." Shikamaru returned, drawling the words, 'ex-girlfriend' out. His gaze momentarily flickered to Sasuke's clenching fists. Good. He was affecting the ice block, then. "What about you? What the _hell_ are _you_ doing?"

His last words came out as a growl, his eyes glaring at the man before him. For some unknown reasons, Shikamaru suddenly saw red. He was mad—no, _furious_ at how Sasuke had been acting lately. It wasn't Sakura who had been the antagonist in this story, it was him. No woman, after all, would cry and mourn that hard for a desired or planned loss. So now, why the hell was the Uchiha acting like he had been the victim?

When Sasuke said nothing back, Shikamaru decided to egg him on.

"Huh, Uchiha?" he let out a snicker, gently prying his arm away from Sakura's grip. He stepped closer to the Uchiha, his glare intensifying. "What the hell are you doing, missing school and letting people talk trash about Sakura? What the hell are you doing, looking pissed and betrayed in seeing the two of us together, when you're over there, doing _nothing_!"

If his last words had come out as a shout, Shikamaru seriously didn't care. For all he knew, the Uchiha deserved it. It also seemed like he had struck a point when Sasuke clench his fists tighter. Shikamaru felt Sakura's gentle hands hold onto his arm in desperation, trying to pull him back, but he paid them no heed.

"Answer me, Uchiha!" Shikamaru growled, stepping closer to the seething male. "What the _hell_ are you doing!"

It was then that Sasuke lashed out, swinging his fist towards Shikamaru. Luckily for him, he had expected the attack and was quick enough to duck away from Sasuke's fist. Infuriated, Shikamaru swung his own fist at Sasuke, landing a pretty strong punch on the guy's stomach.

"Shikamaru, stop!" he could hear Sakura scream somewhere from behind.

Growling, Sasuke pushed off the locker he had clashed against with and launched at Shikamaru, punching him on the face. The force of it knocked Shikamaru off his feet, the crowd immediately moving away from the two of them. Squeals and shouts emitted from the students that had previously been watching them as Shikamaru and Sasuke continued to fight.

"Shikamaru!" Sakura screamed, evading the two in struggle while trying to stay near the two of them at the same time. "_Sasuke!_ Stop it, the both of you!"

The two of them continued to ignore her calls, Sasuke currently pushing Shikamaru on one of the lockers with all his force as the latter struggled against his grip. With tears brimming in her eyes, Sakura was just about to head towards the two when she was pulled back by feminine arms. Sakura whipped her head around to look at who had stopped her just to see none other than one of her best friends: Yamanaka Ino.

"Ino!" Sakura very nearly cried in seeing her friend as she felt some kind of relief in not being alone in the midst of the chaos. Relief soon turned to panic as she shortly realized her friend's prevention of her from getting involved in the fight. Sakura grasped the hands around her form and tried to pry them off. "Ino, please! I need to stop them!"

Ino was just about to open her mouth to speak when Sakura felt a blur pass by her. She turned her head back at the scene in front of her, just to see Naruto standing in between Shikamaru and Sasuke, holding the two away from each other, pushing them back by a hand on each of their chests.

"Let go of me, dobe!" Sasuke growled in annoyance, trying to break away from the blond's barricade. Upon Naruto's focusing on trying to put more pressure on the hand holding Sasuke back, Shikamaru managed to break free of him and swung a fist at the Uchiha once again. Sasuke had managed to duck away just in time, just as Naruto did so as well. Free to move, Sasuke quickly launched himself at Shikamaru for the umpteenth time. The two were on each other yet again before Naruto grabbed Sasuke by the shoulders, trying to pull the prodigy away. It had ended up in futile at first until someone else had pulled Shikamaru back. Naruto looked up to see Hyuuga Neji struggling to keep the enraged male in his arms. Sasuke was just as bad, thrashing in the blond's grip, still trying to launch at Shikamaru.

"What in the world is happening here!" A feminine voice boomed from down the corridor.

All heads turned to look at the speaker, save for the two males who had started it all, the both of them busy glaring at each other. Whispers and murmurs spread through the crowd as they made way for the woman whose voice alone held authority in it.

"Uchiha! Nara!" The school's principal, Tsunade, bellowed, looking from one to the other. Naruto's girlfriend, Hinata, as well as Neji's girlfriend, Tenten came through the crowd after her, seemingly to be the ones who had called the blonde. "What is this all about?"

Both males stayed silent, seething. Their forms stayed rigid, but their movements had ceased. Seeing this, Neji and Naruto loosened their holds on the two; Sasuke angrily yanking his arms away from his best friend.

"No response?" Tsunade forced the words through gritted teeth. "_Fine_. I will see the _both_ of you in my office then. _Immediately._"

The two didn't even break eye contact, despite her words. There were more whispering and murmuring, before Tsunade scowled and yelled, "What are you all looking at? This isn't a show! You've all got classes to attend to! Get moving!"

The crowd was quick to disperse, moving in all directions as long as it would save them from the wrath of the principal. The only ones to stay were Ino who was holding onto a shaking Sakura, Hinata who was encased in Naruto's arms, Neji who stood beside his girlfriend Tenten, and the two males who had been fighting.

++::.~::.~::.~::.~:x:~.::~.::~.::~.::++

"Sakura, are you alright?" Ino asked worriedly, wrapping an arm around her best friend's form. They sat in the backseat of the blonde's car, which they had parked next to Shikamaru's auto.

Tears streamed down Sakura's cheeks, even as she continued to inwardly curse herself for being so weak. She blamed it to stress, after all the things that had happened in her life in the past few days.

"It's my fault, Ino." Sakura cried, wrapping her own arms around herself. "It's my entire fault!"

"No, it's not!" Ino argued, frowning at her friend's foolishness. "None of this is your fault, Sakura."

Sakura shook her head, a sob escaping her lips. "No, Ino! _I_ got Shikamaru involved in all of this. I just… I…" The pink-haired continued to cry, making it hard for Ino to understand her words clearly. Even so, the blonde strained her ears to hear her friend's broken words.

"…I just _needed_ someone, Ino." Sakura sobbed, her voice shaking. "One who wouldn't remind me of Sasuke."

Ino's eyes softened for a moment, before she frowned, "Sakura, what happened? One day we were all happy, and then all of a sudden you and Sasuke disappear from school while rumors of your break up spread out like wildfire!"

Sakura lifted her teary eyes to face those panicked and tired pair of her best friend's.

"Naruto and I went to your house to check up on you just to find out you're locked up in your room and refuse to come out of it. Heck, even Hinata, Neji and Tenten went to check on you!" Ino exclaimed, her hands moving to express her feelings even more. They stared at each other for a second, before the blonde sighed, "What happened, Sakura? Why is this happening?"

A lone tear rolled down Sakura's already wet cheek as she started retelling _everything_ that had happened.

**Flashback**

_Sakura's whole body froze at Sasuke's words, the hand holding the phone to her ear shaking. With difficulty, she forced a smile on her face and said, "You're kidding, right, Sasuke?"_

_There was a second's pause before a deep voice answered._

"_No, Sakura. I mean it."_

_Tears filled Sakura's eyes at his respond and her voice clenched in pain when he repeated those dreaded words._

"_Let's break up."_

"_But why!" Sakura cried, tears streaming down her face. "Why are you saying this all of a sudden?"_

_It was silent on the other side, igniting a fire of anger deep within Sakura._

"_Why aren't you saying anything!" she screamed, if anything, anger taking its toll on her even as tears continued to fall. "You can't just ask me to break up with you without any reason! This isn't like you, Sasuke!"_

_When he continued to stay silent, Sakura started sobbing, all kind of emotions draining out of her save for one: desperation._

"_Please, Sasuke-_kun._" Sakura very nearly begged, that familiar suffix unconsciously slipping through her lips. "Please don't do this. Whatever it is, we can fix it. We can work it out; it's what we always do anyway. We've never needed to break up because we always dealt with things together, so please, plea—"_

"_Stop it, Sakura." Sasuke said, his voice strained, and Sakura couldn't understand why. There was another second of silence before his voice took a harsh tone as he broke her heart with a few words. "_You're annoying me._"_

_Sakura's eyes widened in surprise, his words hitting her like a thousand bullets would. Silently, tears slipped from her emerald eyes, soundlessly hitting the picture frame on her lap that she had grabbed from her bedside table when he had first told her they needed to talk. It was a picture of the two of them taken minutes after Sasuke had finally asked her out and she had finally said yes. If Sakura's heart hadn't been battered into pieces, then she might have scoffed at the ironity of her holding the first picture they took as lovers right at the moment he was breaking up with her._

"_I thought you loved me."_

_Even thought she felt pathetic, Sakura was only able to whisper such words. At that moment, she realized that no matter how strong and prideful you may be, true love can strip you of all that and leave you bare to face the pain._

"I thought so too._" His gruff voice flew through the earpiece._

_Sakura closed her eyes as a sob tore through her quivering lips, more tears escaping her eyes and dripping to the frame on her lap._

"…I_ love you..." she cried, her voice shaking and her breaths coming in short pants as she cried harder. 'I love you I love you IloveyouIloveyouIloveyou' The words repeated in her mind in an endless repeat, hoping, praying, _begging_ he'd say he loves her too. Sakura thought she heard a shaky intake of breath from the other line, which she recognized as a familiar action of Sasuke's when he's crying silently. But she shrugged it off, knowing that at that moment, she would probably imagine any kind of loving act from the cold (coldcoldwhyareyousocold) male. Her suspicion was confirmed by his next words._

"…I don't anymore._"_

_And just like that he was gone from her life._

**End of Flashback**

From then, Sakura had sobbingly told Ino of how Shikamaru had entered the picture, from how he had barged in her room to how he had defended her today. By the time she had finished telling her story, tears trickled down Ino's face as well as she hugged her pink-haired friend.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry!" Ino sobbed, burying her face in the crook of her friend's neck.

Sakura blinked in confusion at the blonde's words. "Wh-what are you apologizing fo—"

"I'm sorry for not being there for you, Sakura." Ino cried, hugging her tighter and causing more tears to gather around Sakura's eyes. A smile touched her lips as she nodded to let her friend know it was okay.

Suddenly, there was a knock on the window on Ino's side.

The two of them broke their hug and turned their teary gazes to look at who it was. Sakura was quick to open her side of her door to get out in seeing that it was Shikamaru.

"Shikamaru!" Sakura exclaimed, walking towards the man who was making his way around the car to her. "I'm so sorry!"

Her apology was accompanied with a hug as she wrapped her arms around his neck. Shikamaru was surprised at her actions, but returned the hug anyway, knowing that his recklessness had probably shaken her up badly. When her body froze in his arms, he was suddenly reminded of the person who was probably watching their exchange from afar. He probably had been too worried of Sakura too, for him not to notice the burning glare directed at him, Shikamaru thought bitterly.

Pulling her away from him, yet keeping his hands on her hips (_to irk _him_, Shikamaru supposed_), he peered in her eyes only to smile cynically in seeing that her gaze had stilled on the person somewhere behind him. Heaving a sigh, Shikamaru dropped his hands from her person and spoke.

"He wants to talk to you."

Her eyes snapped back to him, her attention returning. Shikamaru returned her gaze as he continued.

"And I think you should." He shrugged, watching her. Her hands had slid off his shoulders and she awkwardly wrapped them around herself, as if in protection. His eyes softened.

"I'll come with you, if you want." He offered, despite knowing the displeasure that would cause to the person he was referring to. Shikamaru realized he didn't really care when Sakura nodded to him.

Gently, he took her hand in his (_Because you can't have anything else_, a voice in his mind mocked him) and led her towards the form waiting for them. He could feel the burning gaze _he_ was pointing at them, as well as the worried ones Sakura's friend, Ino was flashing them.

"_Sakura." _the deep voice of Uchiha Sasuke spoke as the prodigy made his way towards them before they could reach him. Shikamaru felt Sakura's hand shake in his grip and he squeezed hers back in hopes of comforting her. When the Uchiha was merely a few feet away, and after a few seconds of contemplating, the lazy lad let go of her, slipping his hand away from hers. She stopped in her tracks to glance back at him, eyes frightened. Sasuke's eyes turned to him as well.

With a little smile, Shikamaru took a step towards the rosette, gently placing a hand on the back of her head before leaning down to press his lips on her forehead. It was an abrupt kiss that lasted a second, but he was sure that the Uchiha's form had stiffened at the unexpected gesture. Taking a step back, Shikamaru shifted his gaze from the stunned girl to the glaring Uchiha. A smirk on his lips, Shikamaru languidly stuck his tongue out at the seething male before chuckling and raising his hands as if to show his surrender. With a last pat on the head of the pink-haired maiden who had recovered from the shock, Shikamaru turned around and started walking back towards his car.

Sakura jolted to life with his exit, one of her feet automatically taking a step after the lazy lad as fear spread throughout her body. She wasn't ready for this. She wasn't ready to face the man who had stepped all over her heart just a few weeks ago. Her attempt to run away was trampled by a large hand clasping her wrists and a warm body coming to stand next to her.

"Don't." That oh so familiar deep voice spoke to her, the hand on her wrist tightening its grip.

A shiver ran through Sakura's body. It had been quite long since she had heard his voice and felt his touch; her heart couldn't help but start beating faster. A short silence rose where Sasuke's hand had slipped from her wrist to hold her hand. Sakura was torn between wanting to intertwine her fingers with his and pulling her hand away.

"I'm sorry."

Sakura froze at his words, surprised. There was a pause, Sasuke's hand holding hers tighter, before he spoke again.

"_I love you._"

Sakura's eyes widened at his confession. The impact of his whispered words slammed against her with force, taking her breath away. Why? How? _What?_

"_I love you._" The Uchiha repeated, his other hand coming up to touch her cheek as he carefully turned her head to look at him. Emerald orbs widened even more as they clashed with onyx orbs that were already teary. In the span of their long relationship, Sakura had only seen Sasuke cry once, and that was when his mother had passed away. Now, seeing him cry for her and saying those words he rarely spoke to her even when they were still together made her heart swell inside of her chest.

"_Sakura_," The desperation in his voice when he said her name only caused more tears to her eyes. His thumb tenderly caressed her flush cheek as a lone tear dropped from his beautiful eyes. "_I love you_."

Maybe it was because of his tears and his words. Maybe it was because this was _Uchiha friggin Sasuke_, who was cold, collected and strong that was confessing to her, and she just _knew_ by his actions, his posture, and his tone that he never meant to hurt her.

Or maybe it was just because she was just so _stupidly stupidly_ in love with him that nothing else mattered anymore.

Her own tears rolling down her cheeks, Sakura gave a small nod before wrapping her arms around his neck, just as his own pair had pulled her closer to him. The rosette buried her head in the crook of his neck as her tears spilt and her sobs echoed around them. Sasuke pulled her closer to him, as if afraid she'd disappear, one of his hands wrapped securely around her waist while the other tangled itself in her tresses.

++::.~::.~::.~::.~:x:~.::~.::~.::~.::++

Shikamaru tried to ignore the worried gaze Sakura's blonde friend was sending his way as he made his way back towards his car, hands deep in his pockets. When she only seemed to be feeling sorry for him more and more, he heaved a sigh and finally lifted his eyes up off the ground in able to meet hers. Her cerulean eyes were teary, which caused a bitter smile to twist upon Shikamaru's lips. Did he _really_ look that bad?

"Hey," he greeted the blonde, hoping that would cease her staring at him sadly.

He watched, albeit amusedly, as she bit her trembling lower lip.

Shikamaru shrugged, seeing as how she wasn't going to return his greeting. Upon reaching his auto, he casually passed by her to open his door.

"Are you… alright?" Her shaky voice whispered her question. Shikamaru's movement stopped as he turned to look at her. She was leaning back on her car, staring back at him still with those piteous eyes.

Sighing and muttering a little 'Troublesome' under his breath, Shikamaru leaned back on his own car, crossed his arms over his chest and nodded.

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure I'll live." Sarcasm is your friend, after all.

"But you like Sakura." She slowly said, seriously confused. Her puzzlement was quite understandable, Shikamaru thought, seeing as how she's dated plenty of men. Girls like her didn't comprehend grave things like this.

Shikamaru let out a low chuckle, shaking his head.

"Yes, I do." A fond smile touched his lips, as his eyes glazed with a faraway look. "But _he…_" —Shikamaru jerked his head towards the, unbeknownst to him, now hugging couple— "He loves her."

'_You might have too.'_ A voice in his head mocked him. _'You were so close; so close to falling for her.'_

Shaking his head, the lazy fellow pushed off the car and opened the door, quickly hopping in. He paused upon closing the door, glancing at the blonde one more time before saying, "Someday, maybe you'll understand."

With that, he shut the door closed as the car's engine roared to life. Shikamaru bade her one final nod, and soon drove off.

Ino watched him leave until she couldn't see him anymore. Shifting his gaze to the couple hugging in the distance, a tender smile touched her lips. "Perhaps I will…"

After all, it was the first time she had come across a man who cared enough for a girl to let her go.

++::.~::.~::.~::.~:x:~.::~.::~.::~.::++

"I'm sorry."

Sakura smiled, her head resting on the window beside her as they sat in Sasuke's black Aston Martin.

"Sasuke-kun, that's all you've said since a while ago."

"It's what I have to say."

The rosette smiled, lifting her head up and piercing him with a stare. He moved his gaze from staring straight ahead to looking back at her.

"I'm sorry." He repeated, eyes holding nothing but remorse and his love for her.

"You didn't have a choice." Sakura tried to assure him, still smiling.

"Yes, I did." Sasuke scowled, frustrated with himself. "I was just stupid."

Sakura chuckled. Never in her entire life did she expect Sasuke to refer to himself as 'stupid'.

"Okay, so you made the wrong decision." She nodded, remembering his words of how beaten he had felt when he messed up at work and his father had been mad at him, as well as her. "We all do, one time or another."

Sasuke had explained to her everything that happened after Sakura had stopped crying. He told her of his missing a very important meeting at the company when he had stayed longer at her place after she had fought with her parents about her going to med school. He told her of how bad and useless he had felt that upon instinct and that nagging voice of his father inside his head, he had broken up with her.

The story of their breakup had lifted his father's spirits up, firmly convinced that Sakura was dragging his son down. Almost immediately, Sasuke had been sent to Italy to handle some big matters over there. He had just gotten back yesterday and was surprised to be met by a punch and loud yelling from Naruto. Sasuke was then informed of what had happened of Sakura; of how their sudden break up affected her.

"I'm sorry."

Sakura was pulled out of her thoughts upon hearing the two words once again. Sighing fondly, she reached over and pressed a finger against Sasuke's lips.

"Stop it already." She said, frowning ever so slightly. "I forgive you."

He seemed unconvinced and knowing him, guilt was still probably eating him up from the inside. Hoping to stop the onslaught of his apologies, Sakura changed the topic.

"You father…" Sasuke visibly stiffened at the mention of his parent. A frown marred his handsome face and his eyes narrowed in anger.

He had the right to be angry, Sakura knew. This whole chaos, after all, had been more or less caused by his father. The whole time Sasuke was in Italy, his father had taken his cell phone away from him. Sasuke allowed and tolerated it, wanting to avoid contact with everyone else and wanting to prove himself worthy to his father. What the young Uchiha did not know though, was that his father had been monitoring _every single _phone call directed to him. Being Sasuke's childhood friend, Naruto had known how to contact him at the company even in Italy, but his father had denied all calls from the prodigy's friends.

Hence, Sasuke's not knowing of Sakura's state the whole time.

(_No wonder Naruto came to her house every day, Sakura thought in the back of her mind. He probably had wanted to inform her of what was happening with Sasuke as well.)_

Sasuke was more than livid when he had heard the whole story from Naruto, even about the phone calls. He had confronted his father due to it and for the first time in his life, Sasuke had yelled at the man who had raised him. Granted, his father had been equally mad at his antics and had kicked him out of the company. Sakura was only relieved that it didn't go as far as Sasuke being disowned.

Sasuke's hand gripped Sakura's wrist and gently pried her hand away from his lips.

"I can care less about him." He growled, taking the pink-haired's hand in his.

Sakura frowned, "He is _still_ your father, Sasuke-kun."

"Hn."

"Sasuke…" Sakura said in a warning tone, dropping the suffix from his name. Sasuke scoffed and without notice, leaned all the way in to rest his forehead against hers. Her eyes had closed in surprise, not expecting the action at all. When she had opened them once more, she was met with the sight of a smirking Uchiha.

"Itachi's trying to calm him down." Sasuke whispered in reference to his father, his breath hot on her lips, successfully causing her to blush. Perhaps it had been because she hadn't seen him for quite a long time, let alone gotten this close to him that she was attacked by nervousness. Cheeks red, she pulled back slightly only to be stopped by Sasuke's hand that had crept up to the back of her head. Her gaze returned to stare back at his own burning one.

"I'm sorry." He repeated those two words Sakura had gotten too acquainted with all in one day. Never in their long span of their relationship had she heard Sasuke apologize this much at once.

With a slight shake of her head, Sakura responded, "I forgive you."

Her answer had come out in a whisper, but Sasuke didn't seem to mind as he inched closer. Sakura's heart pounded in her chest with their proximity. Sasuke continued to lean in until their lips were ever so slightly brushing against each other. His gaze moved from her lips to her half-lidded eyes, but Sakura still tried to return his stare even as more blood rushed to her cheeks.

That hint of desperation returned to his eyes again, as if he was afraid she wouldn't believe the words that were coming out of his mouth. In hopes of assuring him, Sakura lifted her shaking hands to his face and caressed his cheeks. His eyes momentarily closed at her soothing touch and Sakura couldn't help the smile on her lips. When his eyes opened once more, the rosette was surprised at the amount of emotions swirling in his dark black depths.

"_I love you._" His lips brushed against hers as he said the words. "_Always._"

He gazed in her eyes one more time before crushing his lips against hers. Their kiss was passionate; filled with love and longing for each other. Tears stung Sakura's eyes and she couldn't stop them from rolling down her cheeks. Even in their time together before the disarray had happened, Sakura couldn't remember feeling so much emotion in one kiss.

When they pulled away for oxygen, Sasuke's eyes still held so much love that Sakura couldn't help but press her lips against his one more time before hugging him and returning those three heartwarming words.

"I love you too."

* * *

><p><strong>AN:** And there you have it, Kaze's lil cheesy fic for her dear friend. LOL. Well, I tried to make it a one-shot but it ended up being too long. Not to mention my attempt at finishing this all in a week. That might explain the sappiness. Maybe. Perhaps. Uh huh.

So yeah, tons of crying over there. Well, it was a happy ending anyway!

Hope you all had fun.^^ Reviews would be really loved.

Love lots,

Kaze no Shoujo


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